000 FZNT24 KNHC 200802 OFFNT4 OFFSHORE WATERS FORECAST FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 330 AM CDT SAT MAR 20 2010 OFFSHORE WATERS FORECAST FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO SEAS GIVEN AS SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT...WHICH IS THE AVERAGE HEIGHT OF THE HIGHEST 1/3 OF THE WAVES. INDIVIDUAL WAVES MAY BE MORE THAN TWICE THE SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT. GMZ089-201530- SYNOPSIS FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO 330 AM CDT SAT MAR 20 2010 .SYNOPSIS...HIGH PRES ACROSS THE NE GULF GULF WILL MOVE E OF THE AREA LATE TODAY R WITH SOUTHERLY RETURN FLOW OVER THE WESTERN GULF SPREADING E ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON IN ADVANCE OF A COLD FRONT MOVING OFF THE TEXAS COAST LATE THIS AFTERNOON FOLLOWED BY STRONG TO GALE FORCE WINDS. THE FRONT WILL EXTEND FROM SE LOUISIANA TO BAY OF CAMPECHE TONIGHT AND FROM FLORIDA BIG BEND TO YUCATAN PENINSULA SUN AND SE OF AREA SUN NIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE WILL SHIFT E ACROSS THE NORTHERN GULF MON AND TUE WITH RETURN FLOW INCREASING AGAIN IN THE W GULF TUE AND WED. $$ GMZ080-201530- NW GULF N OF 25N W OF 90W INCLUDING THE FLOWER GARDEN BANKS NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY 330 AM CDT SAT MAR 20 2010 ...GALE WARNING LATE TODAY AND TONIGHT... ...GALE CONDITIONS EXPECTED SUN... .TODAY AND TONIGHT...SE TO S WINDS 15 TO 20 KT BECOMING SW AHEAD OF FRONT THEN SHIFTING TO NW TO N 25 TO 35 KT WITH HIGHER GUSTS BEHIND FRONT. SEAS 5 TO 7 FT BUILDING 8 TO 13 FT BEHIND FRONT SAT NIGHT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED TSTMS NEAR FRONT. .SUN AND SUN NIGHT...W TO NW WINDS 25 TO 35 KT EARLY DIMINISHING TO 20 TO 25 KT BY AFTERNOON AND 20 TO 25 KT SUN NIGHT. SEAS 9 TO 14 FT SUBSIDING TO 6 TO 10 FT SUN NIGHT. .MON...NW WINDS 15 TO 20 KT SHIFTING N TO NE 10 TO 15 KT MON NIGHT. SEAS 5 TO 8 FT EXCEPT 3 TO 5 FT W OF 95W THEN SUBSIDING TO 4 TO 6 FT E OF 95W AND 2 TO 3 FT W OF 95W MON NIGHT. .TUE...E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. .WED...SE WINDS 15 KT. SEAS BUILDING 4 TO 6 FT. $$ GMZ082-201530- SW GULF S OF 25N W OF 90W 330 AM CDT SAT MAR 20 2010 ...GALE WARNING TONIGHT... ...GALE CONDITIONS EXPECTED SUN... .TODAY AND TONIGHT...SE TO S WINDS 15 TO 20 KT BECOMING S TO SW WINDS 10 KT JUST AHEAD OF FRONT THEN SHIFTING TO N 25 TO 35 KT BEHIND FRONT SAT NIGHT. SEAS 5 TO 7 FT BUILDING 8 TO 12 FT BEHIND FRONT LATE SAT NIGHT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED TSTMS NEAR FRONT. .SUN AND SUN NIGHT...W OF FRONT NW TO N WINDS 25 TO 35 KT DIMINISHING 20 TO 30 KT LATE AND 15 TO 20 KT SUN NIGHT. SEAS 8 TO 13 FT SUBSIDING TO 7 TO 10 FT E OF 96W AND 4 TO 7 FT W OF 96W LATE SUN NIGHT. E OF FRONT S TO SW WINDS 10 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS NEAR FRONT. .MON...NW TO N WINDS 15 TO 20 KT BECOMING N TO NE 10 TO 15 KT MON NIGHT. SEAS 5 TO 8 FT EXCEPT 3 TO 5 FT W OF 95W THEN SUBSIDING TO 4 TO 6 FT E OF 95W AND 2 TO 3 FT W OF 95W MON NIGHT. .TUE...E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. .WED...SE WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS BUILDING 4 TO 7 FT. $$ GMZ084-201530- MIDDLE GULF BETWEEN 85W AND 90W 330 AM CDT SAT MAR 20 2010 .TODAY AND TONIGHT...SE TO S WINDS 15 TO 20 KT INCREASING TO 20 TO 25 KT AHEAD OF FRONT. SEAS 4 TO 7 FT. WINDS AND SEAS HIGHER IN SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED TSTMS AHEAD OF FRONT. .SUN AND SUN NIGHT...E OF FRONT S TO SW WINDS 15 TO 20 KT... EXCEPT TO 25 KT N OF 25N EARLY SUN. SEAS 5 TO 8 FT. W OF FRONT W TO NW WINDS 20 TO 30 KT WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SEAS BUILDING 7 TO 11 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS NEAR FRONT. .MON...W TO NW WINDS 20 TO 25 KT DIMINISHING TO 10 TO 15 KT MON NIGHT. SEAS 7 TO 11 FT IN NW SWELL SUBSIDING TO 5 TO 8 FT MON NIGHT. .TUE...N TO NE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT...EXCEPT 5 TO 7 FT YUCATAN CHANNEL. .WED...E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. $$ GMZ086-201530- E GULF BETWEEN 81W AND 85W 330 AM CDT SAT MAR 20 2010 .TODAY AND TONIGHT...E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT INCREASING TO 15 TO 20 KT SAT NIGHT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. .SUN AND SUN NIGHT...S TO SW WINDS 15 TO 20 KT SHIFTING W TO NW 15 TO 20 KT BEHIND FRONT SUN EVENING. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT BUILDING TO 5 TO 8 FT BEHIND FRONT SUN NIGHT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS NEAR FRONT. .MON...N OF 25N W TO NW WINDS 20 TO 25 KT DIMINISHING TO 10 TO 15 KT MON NIGHT. SEAS 7 TO 10 FT IN NW SWELL SUBSIDING TO 5 TO 8 FT MON NIGHT. S OF 25N W TO NW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 5 TO 8 FT. .TUE...NW TO N WINDS 10 TO 15 KT SHIFTING N TO NE LATE. SEAS 4 TO 7 FT IN NW SWELL SUBSIDING TO 3 TO 5 FT LATE. .WED...N TO NE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. $$ FORECASTER DGS